married Seduka-tel-bab [The kind of name you want for your grandchild!]

children:

Elam
Asshur
Aram
Arphaxad (Arpachshad)
Lud

From Wikipedia: Shem ("renown; prosperity; name") is popularly regarded as the eldest son of Noah, though some traditions regard him as the second son. Genesis 11:10 records that Shem was 100 years old at the birth of Arpachshad two years after the flood, making him 98 at the time of the flood; and that he lived for another 500 years after this, making his age at death 600 years. The 1st century historian Flavius Josephus recounted the tradition that Noah’s five sons were the progenitors of the nations of Elam, Assyria, Syria, Chaldea (from whom descended the Hebrews and Arabs), and Lydia, respectively.

Terms like "Semite" and "Hamite" are less common now, and may sometimes even be perceived as offensive, because of their "racial" connotations. The adjectival forms "Semitic" and "Hamitic" are more common, though the vague term 'Hamitic' dropped out of mainstream academic use in the 1960s. Semitic is still a commonly used term for the Semitic languages, as a subset of the Afro-Asiatic languages, denoting the common linguistic heritage of Arabic, Aramaic, Akkadian, Ethiopic, Hebrew and Phoenician languages. 'Semitic' also appears in the phrase "anti-Semitic" to refer to racial, ethnic or cultural prejudice aimed exclusively at Jews [and, apparently, despite the fact that Arabs, et al, speak a Semitic language].

According to some Jewish traditions, Shem is believed to have been Melchizedek, King of Salem whom Abraham is recorded to have met after the battle of the four kings. Other legends say that he opened a religious academy, and, due to his long life, even his very-distant descendents who kept the belief in God, like Jacob, were able to attend it. Several extra-biblical sources describe Shem as killing Nimrod, son of Cush.

A rabbinic document that surfaced in the 1600s, claiming to be the lost "Book of Jasher" provides some names not found in any other source. Some scholars have reconstructed more complete genealogies based on this information, and have included as the sons of Shem:

Some believe that from Shem descend the whole of the European peoples. [Bad news for Japheth, but it’s his own fault for renting tents from Shem, instead of buying and allowing the equity to build up and make him rich.] Other scholars have claimed that the Anglo-Saxons are the descendants of Shem. Proponents of this theory also claim that Alfred the Great was a descendant of Shem because he claimed to descend from Sceafa, a marooned man who came to Britain on a boat after a flood. [“Claim it, and they will come.”] King Adel, also said to be descendant of Shem, was ruler of Britain who had 3 children that [inexplicably] migrated to India. Supposedly, Tuitsch a German patriarch is none other than Shem himself.

Meanwhile, a text from Islam claims that the Greeks derived from Shem, i.e.: “Shem, the son of Noah was the father of the Arabs, the Persians, and the Greeks;...” One Russian claims: "To the lot of Shem fell the Orient, and his share extended lengthwise as far as India and breadthwise (from east to south) as far as Phinocorura, including Persia and Bactria, as well as Syria, Media (which lies beside the Euphrates River), Babylon, Cordyna, Assyria, Mesopotamia, Arabia the Ancient, Elymais, India, Arabia the Mighty, Coelesyria, Commagene, and all Phoenicia." [But not Jersey City.]

The Iranian version is that Shem's original land was Iran while Japheth's was the country called "Kuttup Shamach," said to be the name of the regions between the Caspian Sea and India. And in Armenia: "To the sons of Shem was alloted the middle region of the earth: Palestine, Syria, Assyria, Samaria (Shinar?) Babel (or Babylonia), Persia and Hedjaz (Arabia). India is said to be inhabited by Shemites (although Joktan might also be the ancestor of Indians. In Genesis, while Sheba and Seba are listed among descendants of Cush son of Ham in 10:7, another Sheba is listed as a son of Joktan, son of Eber in 10:28. These names are associated with Semitic tribes on both sides of the Red Sea in Yemen and Eritrea. This situation may reflect a combined Hamito-Semitic ancestry postulated for Ethiopia.

Claims to be Shem-descended by virtually every king or duke in so many locations leads one to conclude that either Shem was taking Lamech’s example and having a hundred or so kids in order to populate... everything... OR every king or duke in various locations were attempting to gain credibility for their despotic rule on the basis of an inherited divine right direct from Shem.

Some writers have associated Noah's sons with different skin colors or alleged races. For instance a Jewish text depicts God as dividing the earth among Noah‘s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japhet, and attributing different skin colors to them (literally, —blessing“ them with different skin colors): light colored skin for the Japhetites, medium dark or brown for the Semites, and very dark or black for the Hamites. [Apparently, slanty eyes came from Noah’s pet dragon, Puff.]

So... why wouldn't these people claim a descent from Noah? Why only his son? Is it perhaps due to the fact that Shem's mother might be important?

As a matter of fact, yes. One of the reasons for the rush to adopt Shem as one’s ancestor ( and not necessarily, Noah) derives from the fact that his parentage apparently combined the best of both worlds... i.e., the royal lines of descent of BOTH Cain and Seth. (Or possibly, just from Cain.) This is based on the assumption (see, for example, Laurence Gardner in Genesis of the Grail Kings) that the sister of Tubal-Cain (King of Ur and one of Cain’s direct descendants in the exclusively male line), Na’amath, married Noah (descended from the Seth and Kalimath line, again via the male-dominated path of succession). Thus Shem might be considered to be far superior in royal status than his father, Noah, who merely had the Seth line (and a lot of PR on the Great Flood bit).

In other words, all of the these later descendants were apparently well aware of the superiority of Cain's line of descent over than of Seth's. There is simply no other reason for them to claim Shem for their great (to however many times) granddaddy... instead of Noah. Noah is not the lynchpin; Na'amath is.

This periodic commingling of Cain and Seth lines tends toward being the rule rather than the exception. Admittedly, it took 6 to 8 generations to combine the royal lines by a royal-induced marriage, but eventually it happens. And this is just one of several recombinations of line... and in each case, the offspring of the combined lines is accorded Special Royal Status. (And from another perspective, the female's lineage becomes more important than the male's.) More later.

children: Shelah (or alternatively, Cainan, with Shelah being his grandson)

From Wikipedia: Jewish sources, particularly the Book of Jubilees, point to Arpachshad as the immediate progenitor of Ura and Kesed, who allegedly founded the city of Ur Kesdim (Ur of the Chaldees) on the west bank of the Euphrates (Jub. 9:4; 11:1-7). At least one scholar has asserted that Arpachshad is to be identified with Babylon. Until Woolley's identification of Ur, Arpachshad was understood by many Jewish and Muslim scholars to be an area in northern Mesopotamia, Urfa of the Yazidis. This led to the identification of Arpachshad with Urfa-Kasid (due to similarities in the name - a land associated with the Khaldis, whom Josephus confused with the Chaldeans.)

From Wikipedia: Eber is an ancestor of the Israelites and is mentioned in the Muslim Qur'an. According to the Hebrew Bible, Eber died at the age of 464 (Genesis 11:14-17) when Jacob was 20. The Hebrew Calendar synchronizes this date with 1817 BC. Peleg was born when Eber was 134 years old, and he had other sons and daughters. Eber lived to an age of 404 years. In Jewish tradition, Eber refused to help with the building of the Tower of Babel, so his language was not confused when it was abandoned. [But then, if he couldn’t talk to anyone else... or only his family... then why bother? Is it possible that the word, "confused" is not what we think it means?] He and his family alone retained the [so-called] original human language, Hebrew, a language named after Eber (Heber), also called lingua humana in Latin. (There are different religious positions on this issue. [No kidding?])

The name "Ever" along with the name Habiru are considered by Biblical scholars to be the roots of the word "Hebrew" with "ever" most often meaning "side" or "beyond", but also region beyond or across, opposite side, or passage, in both Biblical and Modern Hebrew as spoken in Israel today. [Meanwhile, Habiru sounds a lot like Nibiru, Zecharia Sitchin’s 12th planet, which describes in some detail from whence came Anu, Enlil, Enki, et al!]

There is a legend that the Avars were descendants of Eber through children of Abraham and his third (or second, as the Talmud identifies her with Hagar) wife Keturah. Others have suggested that Eber was the Babylonian king, Hammurabi who reigned over the Babylonian Empire from 1792 BC until his death in 1750 BC. Eber (2303 BC), son of Shelah (2333 BC), and great-grandson of Shem (2468 BC) may also be the founding patriarch of the descendants of Joktan and his son Jobab... the latter being the alleged Founders of Arabia (and thus giving said Founders some measure of legitimacy).

From Wikipedia: Peleg (c. 2450 BC) lived to the age of either 239 or 339 years... [Think of your age as being plus or minus fifty years. One could do a lot with this kind of thinking.] [Meanwhile, besides being cut short in the prime of his life...] his son Ragau was born when Phaleg was 130 years old. According to Genesis 10:25 and 1 Chronicles 1:19, it was during the time of Peleg that "the earth was divided" - traditionally, this is often assumed to be just before, during, or after the Tower of Babel incident. The meaning of the earth being divided has been speculated to be a patriarchal division of the world (or possibly just the eastern hemisphere) among the three sons of Noah for future occupation, as specifically described in the Book of Jubilees. Flavius Josephus (among others) also affirms this interpretation in his Antiquities of the Jews, Book I. [Curiously, if in fact, Peleg's brother Joktan was founding Arabia, then the split between worlds -- between the Hebrews and Arabs -- might go back a long ways in time.]

From Wikipedia: Reu ("Behold") was 32 when Serug was born and lived to the age of 239. (Genesis 11:20) The Book of Jubilees names him Ur Kesed (or Ur-Nammu). He is said to have been born at the time when the Tower of Babel was begun.

The marriage to the daughter of Ur Kesed, or Ur-Nammu, (as told by Laurence Gardner, Genesis of the Grail Kings), is very intriguing. Ur-Nammu was apparently a military commander, and thus a usurper of the royal line... but almost certainly -- considering the very long, and almost exclusive tradition of a new king marrying the woman with the royal blood (in order to legitimize the dynasty), it is likely that Ora (his daughter) was descended (via her mother) from the Kings of Ur. Additionally, the Mesopotamian kingships were being routinely passed around among the various cities, from Uruk to Ur and back, or to Lagash... or to Kish. Where ever. There would therefore have been a LOT of inter marriages between the cities and their royal lines. This could then lead to the speculation that Ora was descended (in undoubtedly a twisted and complicated family tree) to the early kings of Uruk... and thus to such Sumerian luminaries as the legendary Gilgamesh. [See Figure 2, below.] BTW, Uruk was the city of Inanna, whose niece Lilith was her handmaiden. Everything keeps getting tied together!

From Wikipedia: Serug ("branch") was 30 when Nahor was born, and lived to the age of 230. (Other early versions give different figures). Further details are provided in Jubilees, where it gives the names of his mother, Ora (11:1), and wife Milcah (11:6). It also states that his original name was Seroh, but that it was changed to Serug in the time when Noah's children began to fight wars, and the city of Ur was built, where later Serug lived. This Serug was the first of the patriarchal line to abandon monotheism and turn to idol worship, teaching sorcery to his son Nahor. [But hey! It’s a father-son bonding thing... you know... practicing sorcery.]

married Iyoska of Chaldees, daughter of Nesteg (kin of Ur Kasdim -- the son of Arpachshad and for whom Ur was named)

children: Terah

According to Wikipedia: There is another descendant of Arphaxad named Nahor: the son of Terah and elder brother of Abraham. This Nahor married Milcah, the daughter of his brother Haran and the sister of his nephew Lot, and lived in the land of his nativity on the east of the river Euphrates at Haran. He was the father of Bethuel (of Uruk) and his granddaughter Rebekah (Rebecca) became Isaac's wife. Nahor's great-granddaughters (by way of his grandson, Laban) and Rebekah's nieces Rachel and Leah became Jacob's wives. [Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to conceive... with our relatives.] [See Figure 1 of Terah's Tree.]

With regards to Lot, please note Genesis 14:14 in which Abraham’s response to his nephew Lot being kidnapped was to arm “his trained servants”... all 318 of them! Doesn’t sound exactly like a sheepherder’s extended family, now does it?

1) Tohwait (Nfry-ta-Tjenen) [previously wife of Amenemhet I (Pharaoh of Egypt)]
2) Yawnu (descended via two different lines from Edna)

children:

by Yawnu

Abraham (Abram)
Haran
Nahor

by Tohwait

Sarai (Sarah), Abraham’s half-sister, as well as his wife. This was standard protocol among the Anunnaki, i.e., for a brother to marry his half sister.

Okay, this is where things really began to get... clever... if not curious. Recall Na’amath’s reconciliation of the Cain and Seth lines by giving her all in marrying Noah. This was then followed by Ora (daughter of Ur-Nammu) marrying Reu, and thereby recombining the Sumerian King List line with that of Seth’s line. From Figure 1, we find the princess, Tohwait (Nfry-ta-Tjenen), who was descended from Ham (Chem-Zarathustra) in Cain’s Royal Line, first marrying Amenemhet I (Pharaoh of Egypt’s 12th Dynasty) -- and thereby establishing an Egyptian-Cain Royal line (already discussed in The Royal Line of Cain).

Tohwait, then turns east (so to speak) and marries one of Seth’s direct descendants, Terah (the latter the son of Nahor and yet another royal marriage to Iyosaka of the Chaldees). Again, this ties the Cain and Seth royal lines... this time into something of a deformed pretzel. Prior to this royal marriage, Terah had already been married to Yawnu (Edna... a very popular name in those days), who was descended from Seth, and via Peleg in a different line from Terah. Parenthetically, one should note (from Figure 1), that Abraham (mother, Yawnu) will be marrying his half-sister, Sarai (mother, Tohwait). Curiously, the principal benefactor will be, not Abraham, but Isaac (the latter who carries the recombined genetics).

From Wikipedia: The name Terah means "Ibex, wild goat", or "Wanderer; loiterer". Considering all of the royal marriages, having a “wild goat” in the genealogy at this point might have been a real boon.

Terah lived in "Ur of the Chaldees," [thus explaining the locale of his royal mother, Iyosaka of the Chaldees -- the son apparently wanting to be with his mother on his birth day]. This is where Terah's son Haran died, leaving behind his son Lot. Nahor settled at Haran, a place on the way from Ur to Canaan. Later, Terah migrated with Abraham (probably his youngest son) and Lot (his grandson), together with their families, from Ur, intending to go with them to Canaan; however Terah stayed in Harran, where he died at the age of two hundred and five years. While he remained there until his death, Abram (Abraham’s name before God gave him the new moniker) moved his family out of Haran when Terah was 150 years old (he died aged 205). The Book of Joshua (24:2) reports that Terah worshiped other gods. [A typical problem with second marriages to alternative royalty.]

The Midrash regards Terah as wicked. Allegedly, Terah manufactured idols and in one account: When Terah once went away and left Abraham to mind the store, a woman came with a plateful of flour and asked Abraham to offer it to the idols. Abraham took a stick, broke the idols, and put the stick in the largest idol’s hand. When Terah returned, he demanded that Abraham explain what he had done. Abraham told Terah that the idols fought among themselves and the largest broke the others with the stick. “Why do you make sport of me?” Terah cried, “Do they have any knowledge?” Abraham replied, “Listen to what you are saying!” Terah then delivered Abraham to King Nimrod for punishment. [The trouble with kids... even in those days!] The Zohar says that when God saved Abraham from the furnace ["spare the... furnace; spoil the child" was already a tenet of parents even four thousand years ago], Terah repented... and supposedly God assured Abraham that his father Terah had a portion in the World to Come. [Suddenly, Jehovah is getting merciful? Or did Jehovah need Abraham’s elite, armed military calvary?]

In several places the Quran depicts the story of Abraham/Ibrahim, and his father who is named Tarekh. The story is very similar with Azar (Ibrahim's uncle) a wicked polytheist who's occupation is carving wooden Idols for worship. [Of course, if Terah was royalty... marrying someone who in turn was sufficiently royal so as to marry a Pharaoh, then somehow the "wooden idol carver" charge sounds pretty baseless.]